Drop-cabinet for sewing-machines



(No Model.) 2 Sheetsheet I. G. L. GRAY. DROP CABINET POR'SEWINGMACHINES.

N0.431,207. Patented July l, 1890.-`

[wool wAsr-nuamu n c 2 Sheets--Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

G. L. GRAY. DROP CABINET POR SEWING MACHINES. NQ. 431,207.

Patented July 1,Y 18,90.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE L. GRAY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

DROP-CABINET FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,207, dated July 1,1890.

Application tiled September 13, 1889. Serial No. 323,805. (No model.)

To all whom, it 11m/y concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. GRAY, of Chicago, in the county of Cookand State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Drop-Cabinets for Sewing- Machines; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing -is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, and toV the letters of referencemarked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to a noval construction in drop-cabinets forsewing-machines, and more particularly to improved devices for securingthe positive uplift into operative position of the leaf which supportsthe framearm or goose-neck of the machine.

The invention consists in the features of construction and combinationsof parts hereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the appendedclaims.

In. the accompanying` drawings, Figure l is a view in front elevation ofa sewing-machine and cabinet constructed in accordance with myinvention. Fig. 2 is a fragment-ary view, on an enlarged scale, invertical longitudinal section on the line 2 2 of Fig. 3,0f the upperpart of the cabinet with the frame-arm or goose-neck removed, the parthereinafter described as the cover, for better illustration, being shownin a different section.` Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view, on an enlargedscale, iny

vertical transverse section on the indirect line 3 3 of Fig. 2, of theparts shown in said Fig. 2. Fig. 4L is a detailplan view illustratingthe manner of connecting the lifting-strap with the swinging' cover ofthe cabinet. Fig. 5 is a detail view illustrating the connection betweenthe lifting-strap and supporting-leaf of the cabinet. Fig. (5illustrates a modified form of construction in the device for connectingthe lifting-strap and swinging cover. Fig. 7 is a sectional plan viewtaken on a line passing through the pivots of the supporting-leaf,showing a modified construction in the crossbar for supporting thedrive-belt when the supporting-leaf is dropped. Fig. S is a detail viewof the under face of the top piece of the cabinet, illustrating thelocking device for holding 5o the supporting-leaf in position.

In said drawings, A A indicate the sides of the cabinet, A the backthereof, and A2 A2 hinged doors for closing up the front. of saidcabinet.

A3 is a horizontal top piece resting upon the sides and back of thecabinet. A leaf A, which supports the frame-arm or goose-neck A5 of themachine, ts within a suitable opening in the said top piece A3.

a a indicate depending arms attached to the under face of the top pieceand provided near their lower ends with bearing apertures which registerwith similar apertures formed near the lower ends of other dependingarms a a', attached to the under face of the leaf A4. A pivot rod or bara2 is passed through the said bearing-apertures in thearms a, and a',and affords a hinged connection between the said leaf A4 andthe toppiece A3. The said frame-arm or goose-neck A is provided with abelt-pulley a3, of familiar construction, over which is trained asuitable drive-belt a4. The said drive-belt a'l passes through openingsin the leaf and is trained over a drive-pulley a5, supported in suitablebear-ings upon the cabinet in a familiar manner. The said drive-belt alis located on the side of the pivot-rod a2 remote from the free end ofthe dropping leaf, so that when the said leaf swings downwardly withinthe cabinet the said belt will engage the rod and will be supportedthereby, so that it will remain engaged with the pulleys c3 and a5. Itis obvious that it is not necessary to employ the pivot-rod a2 forsupporting the belt in the manner set forth, as other equivalent devicescould be employed-such, for instance, as suitably-located arms or pinsupon the cabinet. The free end of the leaf A4 in the particularconstruction illustrated is beveledv outwardly from top to bottom,asshown at a6, and the adjacent face of the top piece A3 is oppositelybeveled, so that said parts will come in contact with each other whenthe upper surface of the leaf is flush with the upper surface of the toppiece, whereby the said leaf is prevented from passing over the said toppiece. As a further means for limiting the upward movement of the leafand to insure an unbroken surface with the top piece, a stop or lug a7is secured to the under side of the leaf and projects beyond the edge ofIOO the same. Said stop at is adapted to engage Jthe under side of thetop piece when the upper faces of the leaf and said top piece are flushwith each other.

A6 is a trap or door hinged to the back A of the cabinet and adapted toclose a ventilating opening or window.

The devices herein shown for raising and lowering the leaf and attachedgoose-n eck are as follows: B is a cover hinged to the top piece A3 atthe end of the latter opposite that with which the leaf is connected.Said cove-r is at on its under face, while its upper face is preferablyornamented, so that when the machine is not in use and the goose-neckrests within the cabinet said cover can be thrown over with its fiatunder face resting upon the top piece, and when so placed its ornamentedupper face will give the cabinet the appearance of a piece offurnituree-such, forinstan ce, as a desk or writing-stand. Vhen themachine is in use and the cover is thrown outwardly, its flat surface,which is then uppermost, will serve the purprse of a table orextension-leaf. A knob or projection a8, located upon the side of thecabinet, is preferably arranged to engage a suitable projection b uponthe said cover. Said projections as and b are arranged to aid insustaining the cover in a horizontal position. I have illustrated theprojection or stop b of the cover as one of the posts forming theornamental part thereof; but it is obvious that any suitable part of orupon the cover can be used for this purpose.

C is a strap, rope, or other suitable flexible connecting-strandconnected at one end with the cover B at a point between the endsthereof and passes through an opening in the top A3, and is connected atits opposite end with the leaf A4.

C is a plate-spring secured at one end to the under side of the leaf A4.The body portion of said spring is bent downwardly, so that it standsfree from the leaf, and its free end extends past the margin of the leafand is located near the opening c in the top. As a convenient way ofattaching to the said spring the strand C, (which in this instance hasthe form of a strap,) the free end of the spring is bifurcated orforked, as shown at c in Fig. l, and the strand or strap C passesthrough the slot in said forked end of the spring C. C2 C2 are stops orlugs located upon the strap C at a point below the spring, said stopsbeing shown as formed of separate pieces secured thereto. The saidstrand or strap C is made of such length and so arranged that when thecover B is thrown out- `wardly the leaf A4 will be lifted and broughtinto position within the opening in the top before said cover reachesthe outward limit of ,its movement, the spring of course yieldingupwardly after the leaf has reached its normal position, so as to allowthe cover to come into a horizontal position. By tho use of such springtherefor, or an equivalent yielding spring or resilient connectionbetween lbottom of the plate.

the strand and the parts to which it is attached, the bringing of theleaf tothe full upward limit of its movement in every case is insured,it being obvious that in the absence of such spring yielding orresilient connection, the position of the leaf when raised would dependon the length of the strand or strap, and as it is practicallyimpossible to prevent the strand or strap from stretching orcontracting,or otherwise becoming changed in length, a strand or straparranged as dedescribed cannot be relied upon to lift the leaf to itspropel' position unless such spring or flexible connection isy present.The said spring` or yielding connection may be made sufficiently stiffor strong enough to sustain the leaf during the use of the machine; butpreferably a positive stop or locking device will be employed to holdthe leaf in place after it has been lifted.

Devices are herein shown for automatically locking and sustaining theleaf A4 in its uplifted position, which comprise a stop ory catch A7,having a yielding or spring extension 0,11, which is secured to the sidepiece A adjacent to the free end of the said leaf. The said catch isprovided with a rearwardly-extending pin @12, projecting through anopening in the side piece A. A lug or projection b2, arranged upon thecover B, is adapted to engage or abutagainst the pin am when said coveris swung outwardly. I have shown said lug b2 as arranged upon a post bon the cover; but it is obvious that it can be otherwise l0- cated. Itwill be seen that vwhen the said cover is swung outwardly and brings theleaf A4 to its uplifted position the lug b3 will engage the pin 0,12 andpress the catch A7 inwardly beneath the edge of the leaf, the stop IOOa7 on said leaf having a slot cut therein for the admission of saidcatch. y

D is a convenient form of clip or fastening device for connecting astrap C with the cover B. Said clip consists of a recessed plate D',provided with marginal flanges D2 for attach` ing it to the cover, andwith a tongue d, overhanging the bottom of the recess parallel with thesame. Said plate is located within a recess formed in the cover, so thatthe upper face of the flanges thereof will be flush with the Surface ofsaid cover. Theend of the strap C is attached to the plate D by beingbent over and insertedbeneath the tongue CZ and held by a screw d',which passes through the said tongue, the end of the strap, and the Thetop or outer face of said tongue d is arranged below the top of theflange, so that when the strap is attached to the plate, as described,and carried over the tongue in the manner shown said strap will notproject above the face of the cover B. The strap lies in a groove h inthe cover and in a groove am in the top A3, so that its upper surface isflush with said parts when the cover is open. v

The operation is as follows: For example, it will be assumed that theparts are in the IIO position shown in full lines in Fig. l--that is tosay, the vmachine ready for use. To close the cabinet the cover B isthrown inwardly. This movement of the cover allows the catch A7 tospring back from engagement with the leaf, loosens the strap, and alsoallows the leaf and goose-neck to swing downwardly within the cabinet.It is obvious that when the said goose-neck swings downwardly the pulleya3, supporting the belt, will move over the pivot-rod a2 to the oppositeside of the latter, and the said rod a2 will engage said belt andprevent the saine from loosening and slipping off of the pulleys. Whenit is desired to use the machine, the cover B is swung outwardly' uponits hinges. As the said cover swings outwardly it carries the strap Cwith it, and the said strap acts upon the end of the spring C so as toraise said leaf into working position. Then the cover is swungoutwardly, no force is required to bring the leaf into position, as thesaid cover will fall by its own weight until it is horizontal, whereuponthe stop aS will prevent a further movement thereof, and the lug h2,engaging the pin am, will press the catch inwardly beneath the leaf, andthereby sustain the same.

The door A, before referred to, is adapted to be opened or closed by themovement of the supporting-leaf. A convenient way of securing suchmovement is to extend the strand or strap beyond the end of the spring Cand connect it to the free end of said door, and I have so shown it inthe drawings.

Fig. G illustrates a modified form of construction in the elasticconnection of the strap with theparts to which it is attached. In thisform of the device the strap C is rigidly attached to the leaf, but hasyielding connection with the cover B. E is a coiled spring locatedwithin a longitudinal recess E formed in the covei. The said spring isattached at one end to the said cover, and at its opposite end to thestrap C. The said spring is of the same relative strength as the springC and acts in the same manner.

In Fig. 7 is shown a modified form of construction embodying myinvention. In said figure, A indicates one of the side piecesl of thecabinet-frame, and a and a indicate the arms depending from the cover A4and top A3, said arms being connected by pivots a2 a2. F indicates across-piece or support having bent ends attached to the side pieces A insuch a manner as to bring the cross-piece F in line with the pivots. a4a4 is the drivebelt, which is located on the side of the saidcross-piece remote from the free end of the dropping leaf. It is obviousthat said crosspiece will sustain the belt upon the pulleys as the leafswings downwardly.

In Fig. S is shown a modified form of construction in the devices forlocking the leaf A4 when the same is lifted. A button AB is pivoted tothe under surface of the top A in position to swing under the edge ofthe leaf.

Such button is turned by hand after the cover has been turned back andthe leaf lifted, so as to hold the leaf positively in place.

The advantages of the construction herein described will be plainlyseen. Heretofore it has been a difficultvmatter to secure the uplift ofthe leaf in this class of devices into its exact position, for thereason that unless the connecting-piece between the cover and the leafwas of the exact length required the leaf would not be brought to itsoperative position, or if it was the right length the st-rain upon thesaid connectingfpiece would soon stretch it and make necessary anotheradjustlnent of the same. In the construction herein described it is notnecessary to obtain an eX- act adjustment of the connecting piece orstrand, but only such as will bring the leaf into or near its upliftedposition when the swinging cover is near the outward limit of itsmovement, whereby by a further movement of said cover the spring will bebrought into action to raise the said leaf into the same plane with thetop of the cabinet.

I claim as my inventionl. A dropcabinet for sewingmachines, comprising ahinged supporting-leaf, a hinged cover for operating saidsupporting-leaf, and a resilient connection between saidsupportring-leaf and cover,substantially as described.

2. A drop-cabinet for sewing-machines, comprising a hingedsupporting-leaf, a hinged cover for operating said .supporting-leaf, aconnecting strand or strap connected at one end with one of said parts,and a spring interposed between the other end of said strand or strapand the other of said parts, substantially as described.

. A drop-cabinet for sewingmachines, comprising a hingedsupporting-leaf, a hinged cover for operating said supporting-leaf, aconnecting strand or strap attached to said cover, and a leaf-springsecured to said supporting-leaf and connected with said strand or strap,substantially as described.

4. In'a drop-cabinet for sewing-machines, the combination, with thecabinet-frame and hinged supportingleaf, a goose -neck or frame-arm uponsaid supporting-leaf, drivepulleys located, respectively, upon saidframearm and upon the cabinet-frame, and a ldrivebelt trained over saidpulleys, of a stationary cross-bar or support located upon thecabinet-frame at right angles to the path of said supporting-leaf and'substantially in alignment with the axis thereof, whereby saidcross-bar or support is adapted to'sustain said drive-belt upon thepulleys when the supporting-leaf is dropped within the cabinet,substantially as described.

5. In a drop-cabinet for sewing-machines, the combination, with thecabinet-frame, a hinged supporting-leaf, and' a hinged cover connectedwith and actuating the said leaf,

of a catch upon said cabinet-frame for en-` gagement with said lea-fwhen at the upward IOO IIO

limit of its movement, said catch being 1ocated in the path of andactuated by said hinged cover, Substantially as described.

6. In a drop-cabinet for sewing-machines, the combination7 With thecabinet-frame, a hinged supporting-leaf, and a hinged cover connectedWith and actuating said leaf, of a spring-catch upon said cabinet-framefor engag-ement with said leaf when at the upward limit of its movement,said spring-catch being located in the path of and actuated by saidcover, substantially as described.

7. In a drop-cabinet for sewing-machines, the combination, With thecabinet-frame and hinged supporting-leaf and a hinged cover connectedwith and actuating said leaf, of a spring-catch upon said cabinet-framefor engagement with said leaf When at the upward limit of its movement,and a pin or projection upon said catch which projects through thecabinet-frame and is located in the path of said hinged cover, saidcover being` adapted to engage and actuate said pin and catch,substantially as described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I affix mysignature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE L. GRAY.

Vitnesses:

C. CLARENCE PooLE, GEORGE W. HIGGINS, Jr.

